Lucas Pinheiro Braathen writes Brazilian fairytale with giant slalom gold
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen stunned the alpine world in Bormio, capturing gold in the men's giant slalom and delivering the first Winter Olympic medal — and first gold — for Brazil and for South America. The 25-year-old held off a late charge from the defending champion to complete a remarkable personal comeback and to rewrite his country's winter sports record books.
Historic victory on the Stelvio: margin and context
On a snow-softened Stelvio piste, Pinheiro Braathen produced two controlled runs that together outpaced the field. He crossed the line 0. 58 seconds clear of the runner-up, while the defending Olympic champion pushed hard in the second run but came up short. After opening the first run with a 0. 95-second advantage, Pinheiro Braathen managed conditions and nerves as weather worsened, holding on as challengers sought to close the gap.
The result carries broader significance: it breaks a 102-year drought for South America at the Winter Games and hands Brazil its first medal in Winter Olympic history. The performance prompted national celebration, with leaders calling the moment unprecedented and a new horizon for sport in the nation. On the podium, the athlete’s visible pride during the playing of his adopted nation's anthem underscored how personal the victory was.
From Oslo and retirement to Brazilian champion
Born in Oslo to a Norwegian father and a Brazilian mother, Pinheiro Braathen spent his early years torn between two sporting cultures. He won World Cup medals representing Norway but stepped away from the sport at 23 after losing his sense of joy. A year out of competition and a trip to his mother's homeland prompted a return — this time competing under the Brazilian flag. That decision, he has said, freed him to ski with instinct and personality rather than the heavy expectations that came with the Norwegian system.
He has spoken openly about rediscovering his love for skiing, saying that in Bormio he skied "completely my intuition, and my heart today, " a mindset he credits as the key to becoming Olympic champion. The arc — from a childhood split between beaches and mountains to stepping atop the Olympic podium — has already made him an emblem of cross-cultural possibility in sport.
What the win means for winter sport in Brazil
Beyond the headline result, the gold carries immediate and symbolic impact. It challenges assumptions about geography and winter competition and provides a visible role model for athletes in regions without deep winter sports traditions. The victory is likely to drive renewed interest and investment in skiing, mixed-nationality development pathways, and programs aimed at expanding access to winter sports for young athletes from diverse backgrounds.
Pinheiro Braathen himself framed the achievement in personal terms, saying he hoped the moment would "inspire some kids out there that, despite what they wear, despite how they look, despite where they come from, they can follow their own dreams and be who they really are. " The line captured both the sporting and cultural resonance of his gold medal.
For the sport, the result also served as a reminder that elite alpine racing is increasingly global. The name lucas pinheiro braathen will now sit alongside more familiar giants in result lists, and his story — a retirement, a return, and a switch of nationality — will be cited as an example of how athletic careers can be reshaped by personal choice as much as by form and fortune.
As celebrations continue back in Brazil and among the athlete’s supporters in Norway, the Bormio podium will be remembered as the place where a small number on a results sheet suddenly felt like the start of something much larger.
